Thursday, June 30, 2016

Is the Stainless Swivel Eating the Zinc off the Anchor?

Look like it to me. (not my boat)

This is also a good argument for a galvanized shackles. Stainless chain hooks may slide on and off a little easier, but over times I suppose there is some effect, if you are on the hook a lot. I just go all-galvanized.

Personally, I can't see much use for a swivel. The original SS swivel on Shoal Survivor (15 years) revealed an incipient crack when I took it apart to install a new anchor. No thanks.

(not my swivel, but it shows what side leverage can do)

Instead...

Align the chain between the anchor and the gypsy. The chain can't spin in the gypsy, can it?

Motor/draft backwards if need be; most anchor will alight due to water flow.

1 comment:

Not a fan of swivels either. The data on them indicates they are often the weak component in anchoring gear. And when I look at them, I'm not surprised. Seems like common sense. There just isn't enough material in any swivel to provide me with a sense of security.

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As much as I love sailing, putting my daughter through college and funding my 401K are more important. Transitioning from professional engineer to writer has transformed my habit of living efficiently into a passion for spreading funds thin. I like to think of it as a challenge for the imagination—it’s more fun that way.

I’ve written over 100 equipment reviews and engineering articles for popular sailing magazines, all based on laboratory and hands-on testing. I’ve spent 30 years learning how to maintain, fix, and upgrade. I've also spent 35 years as a chemical engineer, and my wife thinks I live in my basement shop.

As a result I’ve become a fair hand most crafts, never get stuck in the field with something I can’t fix, and I've learned to spread money thin, without compromising speed, reliability, or performance. Although I've written on many topics, my wife assures me this is the one I know best. My magnum opus?

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This is my place to share my enthusiasm for the Chesapeake Bay, Delmarva Peninsula, PDQ specific minutia, and sailing in general. As a regular contributor to sailing magazines including Practical Sailor and Good Old Boat (over 100 articles), it provides a place to try out ideas and publish the overflow. Here I can blurt it out half formed ideas, collect comments, and to see what questions my inquiry suggests. If I need to get long winded or philosophical, it’s my space to do so.
After 10 years of kayaking, 25 years of sailing, 30 years of rock and ice climbing, and 35 years as a chemical engineer, I still have much to learn and my life is still one giant science project. My end of the pier is always festooned with test rigs and warning signs. Every research project brings surprises—things I didn’t know, and just as often, things no one knew. And so through books and articles, I share.